Steinbeis

What Steinbeis does

Steinbeis Holding GmbH is a privately held German family office headquartered in Munich (Joseph-Wild-Str. 13) with a registered seat in Brannenburg, operating as a GmbH under commercial register HRB 6018. The company manages the entrepreneurial assets of the Steinbeis family, a multi-generational industrial lineage with roots traceable to the 19th century in timber, forestry, and paper production, and applies a long-term, no-exit investment mandate focused on sustainability-oriented businesses in environmental technology lead markets.

The portfolio is organised around three business areas — circular economy, green energy, and ecological paper production — executed through wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. Key holdings include Steinbeis Papier GmbH (described as Europe's most advanced ecologically integrated recycled paper mill), EBS Concept (low-carbon substitute fuels from municipal and commercial waste), AP Concept (waste paper disposal and processing), Steinbeis Polyvert (high-quality plastic recyclates), Steinbeis Neue Energie GmbH/ST-UEN (combined heat and power), Biomasseheizkraftwerk Papenburg (carbon-free biomass electricity), and four solar and wind installations totalling approximately 23 MW across Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Baden-Wuerttemberg.

The business model is that of a patient-capital family office: Steinbeis Holding provides equity, equity-equivalent instruments, and subordinated loans to mid-market SMEs and earns continuous income from participations alongside sustainable value appreciation, without pursuit of liquidity events. Distribution is conducted via direct investment engagement rather than external channels, and the holding leverages brand association with the separately incorporated Steinbeis Foundation (founded 1971) and Steinbeis GmbH & Co. KG für Technologietransfer (founded 1998) for knowledge and technology transfer resources, while remaining operationally independent from those entities.

Name

Steinbeis

Legal name

Steinbeis Holding GmbH

Website

https://st-holding.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Steinbeis Holding GmbH is a privately held German family office managing the Steinbeis family's entrepreneurial assets through long-term, no-exit investments in mid-market SMEs operating in circular economy, green energy, and ecological paper production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Investment Holding / Family Office

NAICS

Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Family Offices (SFOs) (FSAAADAA), Family Office Services (Single & Multi-Family Office) (FSABADAF)

Keywords

• Sustainable investment holding
• Family office services
• Circular economy investment
• Renewable energy assets
• Ecological paper production

Headquarters

HQ city

München

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Asset Management and Investment Returns: Steinbeis Holding manages the entrepreneurial assets of the Steinbeis family and generates returns through its investment portfolio in sustainable businesses. The company earns continuous income from participations and sustainable value increases of portfolio companies.
2. Portfolio Company Income: Dual income expectation from portfolio companies: continuous income from the participation and sustainable increase in the business value of portfolio companies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Steinbeis Holding GmbH operates as a family office that manages the entrepreneurial assets of the Steinbeis family. It provides long-term equity capital, equity-equivalent instruments, and subordinated loans to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in three sustainability-focused business areas: circular economy, green energies, and ecological paper production. Investments are held on a permanent, no-exit basis, with the holding also providing financing, planning, management, and operational support to portfolio companies where appropriate.

Product overview

Steinbeis Holding GmbH operates as a Family Office managing the entrepreneurial assets of the Steinbeis family, investing in sustainable businesses in the environmental technology lead markets. The portfolio comprises companies in three core business areas: ecological paper production (Steinbeis Papier), circular economy (EBS Concept, AP Concept, Steinbeis Polyvert), and green energy (Steinbeis Energie/ST-UEN, BS Papenburg, Solarparks Leo and Lynx, Windparks Trierweiler and Dischingen). Steinbeis Holding focuses on long-term value creation through resource efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable industrial production. The broader Steinbeis brand ecosystem includes the independent non-profit Steinbeis-Stiftung für Wirtschaftsförderung (founded 1971) and Steinbeis GmbH & Co. KG für Technologietransfer (founded 1998), which together form a global network of over 1,000 companies offering research, development, consulting, and education services through approximately 6,000 experts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Long-term equity and subordinated loan financing Provision of equity, equity-equivalent instruments, and subordinated loans to sustainability-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the circular economy, renewable energy, and ecological paper sectors, with a permanent, no-exit holding approach.
• Strategic, operational, and technical management support to portfolio companies Assistance with financing, planning, and management, as well as technical and commercial operations management provided to portfolio companies on a case-by-case basis where strategically and operationally appropriate.
• Steinbeis Papier (ecologically integrated recycled paper) Wholly owned operating business operating Europe's most advanced ecologically integrated recycled paper mill, producing ecological paper from recycled materials with advanced environmental standards in technology, production, and product quality.
• EBS Concept (substitute fuels from waste) Wholly owned portfolio company that produces low-carbon substitute fuels from municipal and commercial waste, supporting the circular economy by converting waste into valuable energy resources.
• AP Concept (waste paper disposal and processing) Wholly owned portfolio company specialising in waste paper disposal and processing, supplying businesses with recycled paper materials and supporting the paper recycling supply chain.
• Steinbeis Polyvert (plastic recyclates) Wholly owned portfolio company producing high-quality plastic recyclates from secondary materials, contributing to plastic recycling and circular economy objectives.
• Steinbeis Energie / ST-UEN (combined heat and power) Wholly owned portfolio company focused on efficient generation and supply of useful energy based on combined heat and power (CHP) technology, providing sustainable energy solutions.
• Biomasseheizkraftwerk Papenburg (BS Papenburg) Wholly owned biomass power plant generating carbon-free electricity from biomass, contributing to renewable energy production and reducing carbon emissions.
• Solarpark Leo and Solarpark Lynx Wholly owned solar parks located in Bavaria (Solarpark Leo in Lower Bavaria at 1.2 MWe using thin-film modules; Solarpark Lynx in Upper Bavaria at 3.3 MWe using polycrystalline modules) generating renewable electricity.
• Windpark Trierweiler and Windpark Dischingen Wholly owned wind farms (Windpark Trierweiler in Rhineland-Palatinate with two Enercon E-82 turbines at 4.6 MW total; Windpark Dischingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg with five GE 120 turbines at 13.9 MW total) generating renewable electricity.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2-free electricity generation through biomass-based energy production
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Steinbeis-Stiftung für Wirtschaftsförderung (Steinbeis Foundation for Economic Development)coreOthersThe non-profit Steinbeis Foundation (founded 1971) forms the roof of the Steinbeis network encompassing over 1,000 companies offering cross-industry R&D, consulting, and expertise. The Foundation promotes knowledge and technology transfer. The Steinbeis Foundation and Steinbeis Holding are separate entities with independent operations.
• Steinbeis GmbH & Co. KG für TechnologietransfercoreOthersResponsible for all economic activities of the Steinbeis network. Founded in 1998, around 6,000 experts contribute expertise to practical transfer between science and business. Forms a brand unit with the Steinbeis Foundation and is independent of Steinbeis Holding.
• Steinbeis Papier GmbH (Steinbeis Paper)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEurope's most advanced ecologically integrated recycled paper mill. Part of Steinbeis Holding's portfolio in the ecological paper segment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SHV Holdings: Dutch family-owned (Fentener van Vlissingen family) strategic holding with operating businesses in energy distribution and cash-and-carry. Comparable as a multi-generational European family holding with sustainability-aligned operating businesses and long-term orientation.
• Wacker Chemie (Familien-Equity): German specialty chemicals company with significant family ownership (Wacker family) and sustainability-aligned product lines including silicon and biotech. Comparable as a family-controlled industrial business with long-term orientation, though publicly listed and far larger.

Direct peers

• Schickedanz Group: German family-owned holding (former Quelle/Arcandor-adjacent) with operating businesses and long-term family stewardship. Comparable as a multi-generational German family holding with permanent-capital structure, though currently focused on different sectors.
• Haniel: German family-owned (Haniel family) strategic holding company with operating businesses across sustainable sectors. Direct comparable as a multi-generational family holding with long-term orientation and operating subsidiaries, though at significantly larger scale.
• Maxingvest (Herzfeld family): German family holding company (Herzfeld family, owners of Tchibo) with operating businesses including Beiersdorf stake. Comparable as a multi-generational family holding with permanent-capital and long-term value orientation.
• Tengelmann Group: German family-owned holding (Haub family) with permanent-capital structure and operating businesses across retail and sustainability-aligned investments. Comparable as a multi-generational family holding with no exit orientation and a similar long-term patient-capital philosophy.
• Alfred Ritter GmbH & Co. KG: German family-owned chocolate company owned by the Ritter family with strong sustainability commitments. Comparable as a multi-generational German family business with sustainability focus and permanent ownership, though operating in a consumer product category.
• HARIBO (Bonn GmbH & Co. KG): German family-owned confectionery company (Rügener family) with permanent family ownership. Comparable as a multi-generational German family enterprise with no exit orientation, though in a different sector.

Emerging players

• HQ Trust: German multi-family office providing investment and advisory services to high-net-worth families. Comparable as a German family-office-style operation, though HQ Trust is a multi-family advisor rather than a direct-investing single-family holding.
• FERI AG: German investment advisory and asset management firm managing family and institutional wealth. Comparable as a German investment house working with family capital and long-term mandates, though operating as an external advisor rather than proprietary family holding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steinbeis-holding-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Steinbeis